The space opera is a science fiction sub-genre that isn't new to the world of anime. At some point in your couch potato existence you have no doubt sat through an episode or two that featured the standards of space exploration sci-fi. Now, what if I was to tell you that famed manga creator Ryo Mizuno (Record of Lodoss War and Legend of Crystania)? You would think with that being the case that Starship Operators would have a distinct air of drama and personality. Unfortunately this is a show that doesn't have a lot of either of those things.

The basic premise of the series is an interesting one and it really puts a spin on the whole space opera genre. In the distant future the galaxy is torn apart by an interstellar war. A force known as The Kingdom has come forward to conquer several worlds and bring the governments under their rule. Doing so made The Kingdom a lot of enemies, but nobody has the power to step forward. At least nobody does until a group of young cadets commandeer a warship and wage a one man (so to speak) war against them.

This ragtag group of military trainees from the world of Kibi got their noble start when they were out doing a training exercise and a news broadcast stated that The Kingdom just forced their nation into surrendering. Of course youth doesn't take orders standing down and while the officers departed from the ship (the Amaterasu), the kids (well…teens really) decided to take it over. Unfortunately without the support of a government or financial aid they aren't going to get very far in their campaign so they decide that they need a sponsor. That's where Galaxy Network (GN) comes in, but as the show continues it seems that the cadets may have bitten off more than they could chew.

Last time around the Galaxy Network hook the cadets on the Amaterasu up with a reprieve on the world of Shu. The kids were made celebrities thanks to their conflict with the Kingdom and the GN's broadcast, but before long a coup d'état erupts on Shu. The conflict was an agenda of the Kingdom but Sinon and company make their escape. Their flight wasn't totally without incident though, but they made it out none the less. It wasn't so much the story in the last volume that gave me hope for the third one; it was the character development.

I found that the first volume of the show was very rigid and the characters seemed to be standoffish. The second allowed the cast to open up a little bit and let out some personality. It wasn't enough to make Starship Operators a landmark series by any stretch of the imagination, but it helped draw me in as a viewer. The third volume fortunately continues that trend, but does little to bring this series to the point that it's a must own.

The first episode here kicks off with the "shocking" news that the head Chairman of the Kingdom has kicked the bucket. This news not only proves to be good ratings for the GN but also sends the Amaterasu's enemies into a power struggle. In the interim there is a lot of talk aboard our heroes' ship about romance and things of a political nature. The Prime Minister heads to Earth to see if he can resolve the situation they find themselves in. Meanwhile the Kingdom forges a new offensive against the cadets and brings several ships into the fray.

This new offensive is harsher than any that has come before it and let's just say that the Amaterasu and crew don't leave it unscathed. There are certainly casualties, but as we learned in the last volume, Starship Operators is a show that isn't afraid to kill a few people for the sake of drama. It's certainly an offbeat thing in the world of anime and helps add a fair amount of weight to the ending of this series. Even so it doesn't really help the fact that the show's stiff dialogue and slow pacing were enough to keep the audience at a distance. I never really felt myself connect with the plot or any characters, which needless to say is a vital part in storytelling.

While I do have to admit that I found myself enjoying this last volume the most out of the entire run for Starship Operators; I still can't bring myself to sing its praises. The concept is great and fits together surprisingly well at the end of the day but it's everything else here that is a killer. From episode to episode I often felt myself getting bored and confused. That's a feat in its own right considering that there are only thirteen episodes. It almost feels as though the creators came up with the idea and then presented it to the rest of the group with a blank page. If you find yourself bored with the current run of space opera anime then you may want to give Starship Operators a look, though there isn't a lot of meat to the show.

Starship Operators offers a very clean transfer with some great image quality and a 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation. Like most anime with recent production dates this show utilizes a hefty dose of computer generated effects and for the most part this is a blessing and a curse. I never really felt that the two styles of animation blended very well, but you do have to admit that it's a beautiful show. As the action heats up towards the end there are a few scenes in particular that look fantastic.

As far as the audio quality is concerned there really is nothing technically wrong with this release. The sound is presented with only English and Japanese 2.0 tracks so if you were hoping for a 5.1 selection, you're out of luck. I was pretty surprised by that considering the more recent production date, but I suppose you have to take what you can get. There are two subtitle options as well; one for English dialogue and one for sign text only. The show is very dialogue driven so I suppose you don't really need everything including the kitchen sink for audio options.

The bonus content this time around is comprised of a couple music videos and a creditless ending montage for the final episode. There are also a few trailers for other Geneon releases, but nothing else to speak of.

Now that the run of Starship Operators has come to an end we finally get to see what the creators had in mind when they came up with the reality TV twist behind the show. The only problem is that getting to that point is a slow, boring, and tedious road that doesn't offer a big payout at the end. If you're looking for a sci-fi series with a different concept you may want to check it out, but everybody else can go on living without seeing it.

Check out more of my reviews here. Head on over to my anime blog as well for random musings and reviews of anime, manga, and stuff from Japan!